SCAM Alert (Domain Registrar Fraud) - Missionaries to Cyberspace

I received an official looking email :

The domain name www.heritage-baptist-church.info is about to expire 2009-12-12.

If you wish to continue using your domain name please click on the link below.

Click here to renew.
——–> http://www.domainrenewal-online.org/for.php?d=www.heritage-baptist-church.info

Once the payment has been completed the above mentioned domain name will automatically be renewed and a conformation will be sent.

Additional information

ISPRenewal consults companies about their ownership of domain names on the internet. We supply information to companies about to their domain portfolios, administer domain addresses and when a domain name is due to expire we inform businesses that it is time to renew a domain name. If you wish to assign ISPRenewal to extend your domain, please click on the link above. If you do not not wish renew your domain, you may disregard this e-mail. Note! No changes will be made in the WHOIS information if you choose to your domain with us. You will still have your current Domain Service Provider. You may also request your resent Domain Service Provider to extend your domain. If you have any enquiries, do not hesitate to contact our customer service center at +44(0)20 33 55 4951 visit us on the web.

I went to their website – again official looking – I could renew my domain for $79 US! Since ekklesia-online (a reseller of Wild West Domains) is the registrar, my company, I did a whois lookup on their domain:

Domain ID:D144355989-LROR
Domain Name:DOMAINRENEWAL-ONLINE.ORG
Created On:24-Apr-2007 11:02:20 UTC
Last Updated On:01-Oct-2009 13:01:59 UTC
Expiration Date:24-Apr-2010 11:02:20 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:DomainInfo AB (R29-LROR)

The email came from a Belgium based mob called (appropriately) Domain Renewal SA

Be Aware – this is a scam! Make sure you know who you have your domains registered with, and do not fall for this. You may also get US Mail from companies like register.com telling you you need to renew your domains. Just keep a wary eye out if you get any notification from a company that is not your registrar!

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